Hart spent his first two years in the NBA with the Lakers before being traded away as part of the Anthony Davis deal. And now Hart has become one of the most important and beloved players for a New York Knicks team on the brink of winning an NBA Championship. And LeBron James has a ton of praise for his ability to impact the game so greatly without needing to score.

“You got the wild card in Josh Hart, he’s like a wild card, he’s continued to get better and better,” James said on the latest episode of his Mind the Game podcast. “I was with him when he was young. I had the young Lake Show with him and Bi, and Lonzo, and Caruso, Zubac, I had the young guys. You just see Josh Hart continue to get better and better and better and he’s one of those few guys in our league that makes an impact and it doesn’t always have to be scoring.

“It’s the Draymond Green role where he gets you eight points, but it’s 12 rebounds. It’s seven assists. It’s diving for loose ball, the stuff that doesn’t show up in the box scores. It’s that competitive will, and if you disrespect him he can obviously make shots as well. That coast-to-coast, left-to-right, right hand finish. So it’s big time to see Josh kind of grow into the player that he’s in and he’s one of those guys like you said, we always talk about Alex Caruso a lot. It’s those certain guys that you can plug into any franchise, any team, and they’re gonna win because those guys just make winning plays.”

Hart certainly belongs in that class of players such as Green and Caruso as he does so much for the Knicks that has allowed them to reach a new level in these playoffs. He is one of the best rebounding guards in the league and his work on the offensive glass constantly creates extra possessions. He is also a physical defender who is strong enough to guard much bigger players. And when he is left open, is more than capable of knocking down open 3-pointers.

James knows very well that every championship team needs players like Hart in order to accomplish that final goal and he recognizes the importance of what Hart has meant to the Knicks as they inch closer to raising the Larry O’Brien trophy.

LeBron James impressed by Knicks postseason run

Hart has been just one piece of the unreal run the Knicks have made in this postseason, which has greatly impressed James for how well they have played as a team.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

With his role as an analyst on ESPN’s Inside the NBA, O’Neal is often one of the loudest voices and he has never hesitated criticize players, particularly big men, when he feels necessary. But following Wembanyama’s outstanding performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, O’Neal felt the need to clarify some of his words he’s spoken towards the big man and gave him some advice on the physicality he is dealing with on a nightly basis.

“I think a lot of people, especially the world, get misconstrued when I’m talking about big men,” O’Neal said on Inside the NBA after the Spurs’ victory. “I don’t want you to be like me, I want you to have a certain mentality. The same mentality that I saw [Barkley] have. The same mentality that I saw Patrick Ewing have, that Draymond has. He came out with a lot of energy, a lot of effort. I seen it the last series. Whenever he’s higher in scoring and playing like that, the team plays well. That’s all I’m asking him to do. I’m not asking him to be me, I’m asking him to have that mentality because this is what it takes to win a championship.”

For as amazing a player as Wembanyama is, he simply doesn’t have the physical makeup to dominate in the way O’Neal did in his prime. But when O’Neal and others call for him to get in the paint more and not shoot as many jumpers, it can come off as wanting him to be more like a traditional center from previous eras, and Wembanyama is anything but traditional.

O’Neal’s clarification makes a lot of sense in that it is more about the mindset, energy and aggressiveness that can make such a difference. Wembanyama’s face-up game and shooting ability is what sets him apart and O’Neal isn’t asking for him to abandon that. But when he is in attack mode, it changes the energy of his teammates as well, and forces the opposition to re-think their strategy in going at him as well.

Victor Wembanyama becomes first player to accomplish NBA Finals feat since Shaquille O’Neal

Wembanyama and O’Neal may play completely differently, but they are both absolutely dominant forces, hence why the Spurs’ big man became the first player since peak O’Neal in 2001 with the Lakers to accomplish this feat in the NBA Finals.

If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.

It was a level of play that many felt was possible from the Knicks, but that they had failed to reach at any point of the season. And Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been greatly impressed by what they have accomplished, feeling they’re the hottest team the NBA has seen in a very long time.

“They’re the hottest team that we’ve seen in a long time,” James said on the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast. “I think they haven’t lost since Game 3 of the Atlanta series. It absolutely is [a different Knicks team]. The best time to get hot is when the playoffs start. And they’ve caught a rhythm, and they’re showing it. Both offense, we talk a lot about their offense, but it’s the defense too that’s showing up even more for them.”

As James noted, the Knicks have thrived on both sides of the ball in these playoffs. The offense has embraced more ball and player movement, running things through big man Karl-Anthony Towns and taking some pressure off superstar Jalen Brunson, while also getting huge contributions from the likes of OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and the rest of the role players. But they have also locked in defensively and it has ultimately led to outstanding results.

The Knicks won closeout games by 51, 30 and 37 points during this run and now find themselves just two wins away from winning their first NBA Championship since 1973. They have the entire city of New York rallying around them in a way that is rarely seen amongst NBA crowds and James and the rest of the basketball world have taken notice.

Warriors ‘legitimately interested’ in signing LeBron James this offseason

While James is enjoying the Knicks’ run he is also focused on his offseason and what he will choose to do as he is an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign anywhere, assuming he chooses to continue playing for a 24th NBA season. And one team who is very interested in bringing him in is the Golden State Warriors.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

One of the teams that has long been linked with James has been the Golden State Warriors with many visualizing the ultimate team-up with James and Stephen Curry. And, according to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Warriors are legitimately interested in adding James this summer:

Staying with the Lakers is widely believed to be his preferred choice because he is so entrenched in Los Angeles now after eight seasons with the purple and gold. Yet league sources maintain that Golden State remains legitimately interested in adding LeBron to their Stephen Curry/Jimmy Butler/Draymond Green core coached by Steve Kerr … with the pitch presumed to include the idea that LeBron could commute from Los Angeles to some TBD degree without having to move his family.

James joining Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green with the Warriors would be an absolute bombshell as it would represent something of a last stand of the old guard coming together for one last run at a championship. The Warriors have long had interest in acquiring James, having previously reached out to the Lakers for a potential trade so the desire is clearly there.

The question again will be a matter of financials as the Warriors don’t have salary cap space and, by multiple accounts, James doesn’t seem too keen on taking a massive pay cut to sign elsewhere. The Lakers remain one of the only teams with the cap room to sign James to a big contract, but how much they are willing to pay him is unclear with the franchise having so many other players on the open market, while also looking to upgrade the roster.

James remaining with the Lakers still seems to be the most likely outcome, but there are clearly some teams that will be looking to add him this offseason and the Warriors are definitely one of them.

Charles Barkley: LeBron James has one clear option this summer

In the eyes of Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Charles Barkley, neither the Warriors or Lakers are the ideal landing spot for James this summer and he outlined what he believes is the one clear option for the superstar in free agency.

If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.

“Greatness,” Divac responded when asked to describe Bryant in one word during his appearance on Byron Scott’s Fast Break. “What he did with his work ethic, with his talent, with his passion. Ready to sacrifice for the goal that he set for his life, it was amazing. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to play at least one year, my last year. And I’m glad that Jerry [West] traded me for him.”

Divac has played with some of the greatest and most talented players in NBA history, so to see what Bryant was able to do, and that famed work ethic up close and personal, was a blessing. And that also is why Divac was legitimately surprised to hear that many people online now are seemingly trying to diminish what he accomplished in his legendary career.

“I’m not in the social media that much so I didn’t see that,” Divac said. “I’m shocked that somebody would do that. Why? I have no idea. Usually what you cannot reach, you trash.”

That last line by Divac is one that should be remembered by everyone, and not just in this situation. For Divac, it simply does not make sense that anyone would try to discredit Bryant in any way.

“It would anger me,” Divac continued. “I didn’t see that, that’s why I’m not [angry] but that’s ridiculous. If you see where he came from, what he achieved, what he went through. He’s my top-3 ever.”

Divac played with and against some of the greatest players ever including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon just to name a few, so he has seen basketball at the highest level. And he insists that what Bryant did was simply unbelievable.

“B. Scott, you coached him,” Divac noted. “I didn’t play with too many guys that, what you see in the game is what you see in practice. The same intensity, same level. The only thing that, I talked to him a few times about it, and that’s why Magic also, why he wasn’t a good coach.

“The knowledge, the everything, and same thing with Kobe. He was expecting from his teammates to be on the same level and he was going very hard on them. But what you see in the game is what Kobe did in practice. 99% of the players are opposite. You’re cruising, you’re doing stuff, but Kobe [shakes head] it was unbelievable.”

The ones who never question the greatness of Bryant tend to be those who really saw everything he did not just on the court, but behind the scenes as well. And Divac is like many others in not understanding those who try not to put Bryant amongst the greats of the greats.

Austin Reaves hopes to continue playing with LeBron James

The current Lakers have some major decisions to make regarding their roster this offseason with the futures of Austin Reaves and LeBron James unclear. But Reaves made it known that he hopes to continue playing with James, whom he has been teammates with for his entire career.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!